


Fall Underneath

by bonsaiScribbler



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Angst, Major Character Injury, Modern AU, Sort of Carolina/York, carwash siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 19:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4317537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonsaiScribbler/pseuds/bonsaiScribbler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the incident Carolina visits her brothers at the hospital. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s their sister.”</p><p>It felt like everyone was staring at her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fall Underneath

“That's their sister.” 

It felt like everyone was staring at her.

“Really? They don't look alike.”

“I swear. She arrived shortly after it happened!”

“Poor thing. Can you imagine what it must have been like?”

“How terrible! I don't even want to think about it...It's pretty messed up.”

“Ssh! She can hear us!”

 

The whispering got louder and louder until they were standing right next to her, trying to subtly get a glimpse of her face. 

South whirled around and frowned at them.

“Of course, she can! Don't you dipshits have anything else to do? Or is running your mouth the only thing you can do?” said Connie, moving to stand next to South.

“Do you need me to beat them up? 'cause I will.” South flexed her impressive biceps at the two women standing in front of her. They paled and quickly excused themselves.

“It's okay. They... I just...” Carolina rubbed her eyes. “I'm just exhausted. I didn't think this would happen.”

“No one did... He seemed totally fine the last time we hung out.” said York as her put an arm across shoulder, pulling her close. “He even laughed at Wyoming's stupid jokes.”

“They weren't that bad...” protested North weakly. South gave a snort and froze, looking at Carolina. “I'm sorry. It's just difficult.”

“I know.” With a deep sigh she pushed York away, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“We're here for you, you know that, right?” North gave Carolina a hug and then made way for Connie and South to do the same. “Just call us whenever you need us.”

“And tell Wash, ...tell Wash that we're there for him.” Connie said. Her eyes were red, but she didn't cry. “And Epsilon.”

“I will.” Carolina straightened her back and squared her shoulders.

“Call me later, okay?” Connie squeezed her hand tightly. Trying to give her the confidence that she needed so badly in this moment.

“Yeah.”

 

The ICU wasn't as quiet as people liked to think. People spoke in hushed tones, and the nurses constantly reprimand people to be quiet. But the beeping of the machines was deafening.

The machines attached to her little brother were the worst. Their whirring and beeping a constant reminder of what happened to him. But they showed that he was still alive. Still hanging on.

For a moment she considered reaching out and grabbing his hand, but she froze. He was too still, was too quiet; looked nothing like her little brother. She steeled herself, sat down and grabbed his hand, slowly squeezing it.

 

Nothing changed. He didn't wake up. Didn't smile at her, or ask for five more minutes. 

Instead the machines continued to beep.

“I went to see him today.” she began. “He's not doing well. He remembered what he did. What happened to you.”

“What he did to you.” The bandages wrapped around his neck seemed to tight. Maybe he couldn't breathe. Maybe she should call the nurse. “Mom and Dad are with him. He's locked up in the psychiatric ward for now. They plan to keep him there for observation. When you wake up, we can go see him.”

“He's really sorry... They had to restrain him...” But he couldn't breathe on his own. Underneath the bandages was a tube, pushing air into his lungs. “He wanted to see you so badly that he knocked out a nurse before they could sedate him.”

“Why didn't he tell us?” He looked so frail. She wanted to take him in her arms and hold him until he was alright again. “Why didn't you tell us? Did you know?”

“I love you, you know. You're my baby brother.” She reached over and brushed his hair from his face. “I held you when you were a tiny, ugly baby. All red and screaming... Epsilon didn't scream unless he was separated from you. But you always screamed whenever no one paid attention to you.”

“I don't know what went wrong. Is it my fault? Did I miss the signs?” His skin was too pale, the bruises seemed almost black.“I just... I don't understand.”

His freckles were dark dots on his stark white skin. 

 

It was always easy to tell the twins apart by their freckles. Wash had several near his left temple, and Epsilon had more on his right cheek. 

The Dakota twins always said that she was one of the few being able to tell them apart. They were good at it as well, but they claimed it was a twin thing.

York and Maine got pranked by Epsilon and Wash more than once, and always kept falling for the same tricks. Maybe they were just humoring them; she didn't know.

There were so many things that she didn't know. Like what happened to her little brothers. How things had gotten so out of control. She had known Epsilon's behavior had changed, that he had fallen in with some bad people. But she had trusted that he would tell her, if there was something going on, if he needed her help.

But he hadn't.

Or maybe he had, and she hadn't paid attention. Ever since she started dating York, she had been busy. Maybe that was why she hadn't noticed anything. Maybe she had been too caught up in her relationship to see her brother self-destruct.

She sobbed. The sound too loud in her own ears. Even worse than the beeping.

She had no right to cry. She messed up. She hadn't been there when they needed her.

 

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts.

“Come in.” York entered, carrying a bouquet of peonies.

“Hey. I just...” he gestured to the flowers. 

“Thank you.” Carolina motioned at the vase on the table and he went and filled it with water.

“He'll be okay.” he said as he put the peonies in the vase. He sat down next to her and let her lean on him.

They were silent for a while, taking comfort in each others presence.

“It's all my fault.” He pulled into his lap and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I wasn't paying attention. I should have been there for them.”

“No! You didn't do anything wrong.” He brushed her hair from her face, just like she had done for Wash just moments ago.“No one saw that coming. Don't blame yourself.”

She clutched his t-shirt in her hands, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.

“What if he doesn't wake up?”

“He will.”

“What if he hates me?”

“He won't.”

“I'm so sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong.” He said, stroking her hair. 

“I did everything wrong.” she insisted, but he shook his head.

“...I didn't think he'd do it. I didn't think that he was so far gone.” York admitted, staring at Wash. “He seemed okay the day before.”

 

It had been a mess. He remembered holding Wash close and putting pressure on the wound on his neck, telling him that everything would be okay. He remembered Maine subduing Epsilon, kicking and screaming. The knife clattering across the floor.

When the ambulance arrived Wash had gone all silent, watching Epsilon out of the corner of his eyes. His breathing had become shallow, and the paramedics had all but ripped him from York's arms and into the ambulance. 

Epsilon had been taken away. Still screaming and fighting. It had taken Maine, and two police officers to get him to the hospital, while York had remained frozen in the kitchen, staring at the blood on the floor. 

After what seemed like eternity Carolina had gripped his arms and shaken him, yelling at him. An officer had pulled her aside and told her what happened. Afterwards both of them were taken to the hospital. 

Carolina had gone silent, staring out of the car, as silent and stiff as a statue. 

He had been led away by doctors to be examined while she had sat in the waiting area. 

 

“They found pills in his room.” Carolina told him. “They said that they caused hallucinations. That he probably didn't even know who we were.”

York stared at Wash's still form, trying to imagine what it must have been like for him to be attacked by his own twin. Or what it must have been like for Epsilon, finally coming to and realizing what he had done to his brother. What it must have been like to have his twin's blood on his hands.

He'd heard the nurses talk. How Epsilon would need therapy, how Carolina wore herself thin visiting both of her brothers, how Wash might not wake up again. 

He couldn't imagine what it would be like. What it would be like with Wash gone. With both of them gone. Epsilon wouldn't be able to live without Wash. 

Carolina would crumble. Slowly and silently. 

“He'll be fine.” He told her. He'll be fine, he told himself.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I was planning on writing some nice Carwash. Didn't work out that way.


End file.
